S157P1 – Life after death: all things new
Rom. 6:1-4
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
I have seen many film depictions and heard many real life stories of people who receive a new lease on life. They are those who have cheated death in one way or another and have lived to see another day. I myself experienced a rather frightening moment in the ocean when I thought that I was certain to drown. After a few minutes of not being able to reach the surface for a full breath, the waves somehow spit me out on the shore. I sat in the sand for a long while just contemplating what had occurred. I thought life was about to end, and it made me think about how I had lived life to that point. The question was whether being so close to death would cause me to live differently.
Those who have been born again first have died. We were crucified with Christ on that cross, and we were resurrected with him. The water baptism we take is a symbol of that death and resurrection. Like the person who almost dies but lives to see another day, the expectation is that we change from this experience. The truth is that we were walking dead before we were born again in Christ. Now we are truly alive, and the way we live must reflect that. The way we spend our time changes. The focus of our existence changes. The purpose of our work changes. When we go through this rebirth, all things become new. Life should be markedly different once we have given it to Christ.
Spiritual rebirth through Christ is not about life changing a little bit. This is a complete change in how we live. The Lord’s ways must inform every aspect of life. The nature of how we receive this new lease on life is to guide how we now manage these new lives. This is a second chance to redirect life’s focus and to live the lives God planned for us. The difference is that we did not have a near death experience. We have died, and now we live again. We were bound for spiritual death but now have gained spiritual life, and that should make a world of difference. Father, help us to live these new lives wholly for You, forgetting the old treasures and pressing on toward the new prize.